Mike Milanesi is a science curriculum specialist in Tulare City School District in California with a lifelong passion for science. “Sharing that passion with students has been my focus for my entire career,” he says.
“Our school district is located between Fresno and Bakersfield in the heart of the agriculturally diverse San Joaquin Valley. We have approximately 10,000 students in grades K‐8. We are 80% free and reduced lunch. One of the biggest challenges our students face is being exposed to educational opportunities outside of school and the resources to travel where they do exist.”
His district received a Gizmos Science Success Grant for their 7th and 8th grade science teachers. As part of their grant, the teachers had three days of ExploreLearning professional development. The grant was so successful, the district plans to purchase a multi-year subscription and add 6th grade teachers.
Students have a high level of engagement with Gizmos. “Recently, a student who tends to have behavior problems in class was working with me in a small group on the Distance‐Time Graph Gizmo. It wasn’t until after I was done with the lesson that I was told that the student normally acts out and causes problems in class. This was not the case. He was highly engaged and was able to contribute to the discussion we were having about the Gizmo. His teacher commented later that he really enjoyed working with the Gizmo and wanted to know when he would have another opportunity.”
He adds, “I’ve also enjoyed working with the ELA and Math Curriculum Specialists in our district and designing lessons centered around a Gizmo.” Many science teachers struggle with incorporating ELA Common Core Content standards into their lessons. Mr. Milanesi came up with a lesson with the Rabbit Population Gizmo to stimulate mathematical and scientific thinking and communicate that thinking into writing in an ELA, math, or science classroom. The goal is for students to create an Informative Writing paper.
Here’s the lesson he wrote:
- Pose the question “What challenges do animals (in the wild) have to face on a daily basis?” Responses might include finding food and shelter, escaping predators, staying warm while cold or cool while hot, etc.
- Ask students what affect these challenges might have on populations of animals.
- Explain that today they are going to being looking closely at two graphs about rabbit populations. After looking closely, the students will write down important facts about each graph.
- Tell students that like a good book, a graph also tells a story. It has a beginning and an end, as well as, a lot of good stuff in between. As the reader, you must supply the words to tell the story of the graph.
- Go ahead and direct students to look at the graphs provided. Also, show the students that they also have numerical data that corresponds to the graphs, as it is hard to see the exact data plotted on the graphs.
- Next, using the Gizmo, have students identify “parts” of the graph. For example, x and y axis information, units, etc.
- Using the printed graphs, have the students focus on the Control Group graph. Ask students what a Control Group is and why it is used in an investigation.
- Using the Gizmo, run a 4 year plot of the rabbits. As it is running, have kids politely say when the graph reaches Year 1, Year 2, etc. After the 4 years is complete, stop the graph and prepare to ask lots of questions.
- Possible questions to ask are: Explain why the plot of the graph goes up and down, what does the steepness (slope) of the graph represent, how many rabbits at the start/end, is there a pattern, what time of year is the rabbit population increasing/decreasing, etc.?
- Using the numerical data, ask similar questions. Make enough copies so students can mathematically find numerical evidence that will help them with their informational writing to follow.
- Repeat the same procedure for the Harsh Winter graph.
- After spending time talking and discussing the two graphs, it is time to begin creating an outline for the paper. To see the template he created, download it here: Rabbit Gizmo Writing Template.
Gizmos have “allowed our teachers to conceptually teach subject matter that previously they would not have been able to. It brings many topics to life that sometimes are hard to visualize. Also, it is prepping our students for the SBAC.”
Mike Milanesi has a degree in Entomology from UC Davis, and has worked in education for 31 years. The first 14 were spent as a classroom teacher in middle school science, as well as, grades 2nd, 3rd, and 6th. The last 17 years, he has been a science curriculum specialist, working with teachers and students in kindergarten through 8th grade. He is very involved with the county’s outdoor science school called SCICON, which he also attended as a student.
